Journey to Oregon
by Krystel of Elaria
Summary: Tara and Jen return home to find that their friend Alia has died, shortly after an attack on the city. They contact Spike and Carly and head to Oregon to find out exactly happened to her, and decide what to do next with Alia's killer still on the loose...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait for the next segment in this story! I've had a mega case of that Evil Writer's Block for the past couple of months! But I hope that it would happen again for some time so that I can continue this story without any problem. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters relating to Transformers, even though I own the DVDs. I only own my OCs that are in the story.

**Rating:** T

**Name**: Change in pov

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTT_ = scene change

'_italics_' mental communication

"_italics_" talking on a phone

"Dead…" she said again for what seemed like the thousandth time.

The word hung between us as we sat outside the hospital. Both of us in a state of shock and disbelief at the information that we had just received from the doctor inside. Jen and I had just recently returned from visiting her Aunt and Uncle's home in Michigan. The two of them had kept us away for another month than we had originally expected to be away on our trip. Guess that goes to show how much Jen's family loved company.

I had driven the car up to Alia's house to say hello to her first before taking Jen back to her place to unpack and before heading back to my own apartment to rest for a day or two. Excitement at surprising her rippled between us as we knocked on that familiar green door.

We received no answer on the first knock. But that didn't bother us. Alia didn't usually hear the first knock on the door. Both Jennifer and I knocked several times more and even rang the bell with still no answer to our continued attempts.

After the twentieth time I lifted one of the potted plants that flanked the door and removed the spare key from underneath it. Twisting it in the lock the door swung open, with an eerie silence, into the main entry. We went through the house and even her 'secret' basement that we knew about but never told her.

She wasn't here. She wasn't anywhere in the house. Everything looked like it hadn't been touched in several weeks if not a month or so. Dust covered the table in the kitchen where I checked last to see if she had left a note or not. Again nothing to point us in a direction that could help us find her.

I locked up the house and replaced the key while Jen walked down to Mrs. Johnson's house. She came back a few minutes later to where I was standing against the car. Jen told me that according to Mrs. Johnson a Decepticon attack had occurred about a month ago. She said the whole city was in a panic and ran from where the battle at the warehouses up on the cliff was taking place.

Mrs. Johnson had recalled seeing Alia shortly before she and her husband had joined the rest of the city down below to get away. While with the other people she had looked for Alia and when she didn't find her, she had started to panic and prayed that Alia wasn't anywhere near the Decepticons.

But that had not turned out to be the case. The attack had ended as quickly as it came with the Decepticons in retreat. Some of the public including Mrs. Johnson had gone to the hospital for treatment to their minor injuries from flying glass and other debris. While she was in the waiting room she had seen an ambulance pull up and two young people, around our age, had climbed out of the rear doors.

One of them carrying Alia in their arms as they rushed through the hospital doors. She couldn't hear the conversation but the doctors had quickly rushed off with Alia on a gurney with the two others running beside her along with other hospital personnel.

Mrs. Johnson had talked with the young woman, a blonde haired girl named Carly, after Carly had come to the lobby to get a bottle of water from the vending machine. Carly told her that Alia had gotten caught in a blast from the discharge of a Decepticon weapon and that the doctors were doing all they could for her. The next Mrs. Johnson had seen of Carly and her companion was when the two had left with who she had presumed to be Autobots.

Jen and I then rushed down the hospital to see if Alia was still there. The secretary contacted the head doctor who had treated Alia and he came down to speak with us. The minute we saw his face, we knew that something had gone wrong. He told us that after she had been brought in Alia seemed to improve in her condition at first. But unfortunately a few days later, Alia had died from her wounds as what had happened to her was too much for her body to recover from.

Even with the new advanced medical technology that the hospital had received.

Jen had run out of the hospital after that, refusing to hear any more of what he had to say. The doctor gave me some contact information for the two that had brought Alia in. As well as another number for a man that had come to check on her a day later. I thanked him and went after Jen. After a few minutes I found her at the bench that we were now sitting on.

"Dead…" Jen whispered again.

"Yeah…" I replied.

Thoughts and 'what if's' kept running through my head. What if we had come back sooner? What if this had happened, what if that had happened. All of it made and didn't make sense. But what has happened cannot be changed, my mind reasoned, no matter how much I or Jen might want to change it.

I looked down at Jen as she sobbed into her hands. Some loose tears falling and creating a spot on the ground in front of her. Finally she lifted her head to look at me, her hair bunched up where her fingers had been. Eyes red and distant from built up tears stared at me both with sadness and guilt.

"Why? How could something like this have happened?" she whispered such that I almost didn't hear her.

I sighed. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"We should have been here. We could have protected her!" Jen said.

"How?"

"By making sure she didn't do anything reckless! What if it was _him_? What if it was actually _that bastard_ that did that to her?!" Jen cried.

I didn't need her to elaborate. I knew who she was speaking of.

David.

The thought about his involvement in Alia's death had occurred to me several times. But neither of us had any way to prove it. Without some note from Alia or even medical records of how she was and when she was brought to the hospital there was no way to prove whether David was the true culprit or not.

"What should we do?" Jen asked, standing up.

"I don't know."

She whirled around. "You don't know?! What do you mean 'you don't know'?!"

"Jen calm down!" I said.

She stamped her foot. "No! I will not calm down!" she declared, tears starting to form in her eyes again.

"Alia is dead Tara! _Dead_! And the bastard that did it is still out there!"

I forced myself to keep calm. Usually I would argue with her and shout but now was not the time for such a brawl between us.

"I know. But rushing into this will only cause more harm than good Jen. We need to think about this."

I leaned back against the bench and patted the empty space beside me for her to sit down. "What do you want to do?"

"Find him and kill him." Jen stated plainly as she complied and sat.

I smiled. She could be so straightforward sometimes, especially when faced with situations like this. It was one of her best qualities I thought as did Alia. She was like a lot of people around us who felt the same when making a decision like this but there was another thing that made this even more personal as Jen, unfortunately, had had experience with this sort of thing before.

"Jen? Are you going to be okay with this?"

She smiled. "I'll be fine."

_Liar_, I thought. "Okay. Let's go back to Alia's and contact Carly and I think, Spike, who brought her to the hospital."

"Oh those two? I remember them alright."

The drive back was slow as traffic was slowly building because of rush hour. We drove in silence as I stopped at both Jen's apartment and my own so we could grab a few more things and let our landlords know that we would be gone for awhile more.

We got back to Alia's around seven and carried our belongings into the kitchen after parking my car in the garage next to Alia's little blue car. Jen and I sat next to each other at the table as I pulled out the piece of paper the doctor handed me.

"Don't call the first number." Jen said suddenly.

"Why?"

"That's his." She spat. "I remember seeing it once on the caller ID and Alia didn't touch it. I asked her why and she said it was David's number."

"Oh."

I tore that part of the paper off and threw it away before dialing the next number on the paper. Putting my phone on speaker I laid it down on the table between us and waited.

**Carly**

Things back at the Ark had been quiet for the past month and a half since we had returned from Duluth. The Autobots had continued their mission to stop the Decepticons but even after a victory, there had not been much celebrating.

The loss of Alia had affected all of us that had known her back in Duluth, even for the short time that she was at the warehouse. Spike has asked the doctor to call us and let us know if Alia has survived the terrible injury that her body had sustained from that energy blast. But no such call ever came.

Over time we had accepted that no word would come and that we would have to accept what had happened. But the differences were noticeable.

Steeljaw, whenever he was out and about, walked with his head down and would often just lie down in one spot without moving for hours on end. Usually with Rewind keeping him company throughout that time until Blaster need them for something.

Even though they didn't show it, I could tell that both Ratchet and Optimus had been just a deeply affected by the loss. Ratch was more irritated then usual but sometimes I would see him just sitting and staring off into space when he thought that no one was looking.

Optimus was usually shut up in his quarters whenever he wasn't giving orders to deal with an attack to deploy a team to look into a new energy source for the Ark itself. He never let any of us see how he really felt about this development. But I think that everyone secretly knew how he felt even though they didn't say it to his face directly.

"Carly?"

I looked up from stirring my lemonade as Spike came over. I hadn't even heard him enter the recreation room.

"Hey. What's up?" he asked, sitting down across from me.

I shrugged. "Not much. I just wish we could have stayed…"

Spike leaned forward. "Carly. We did all that we could. I hate to say it but it's time to move on."

"I know it's just…"

_Bzzzzzz_.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What?"

_Bzzzzzzzz_.

Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen was lit up with a number neither of us recognized but he opened it and put it on speaker.

"Hello?"

**Tara**

"_Hello?_" came a voice after two rings.

"Hello. Who is this?" I asked.

"_Spike Witwicky. Who is this?_"

Jen and I exchanged a glance.

"Tara Michaels. I'm a friend of Alia Maxwell."

He paused for a moment and a loud bang sounded close to the phone. A voice came on the line, this time a girl's.

"_You're a friend of Alia's?_"

"Yes. You are Carly right? We met you and Spike in the store before the concert the next night remember?"

"_Yes, I do! Is Jen there with you too?_"

"Yes I'm here." Jen replied, leaning towards the phone.

"_I'm curious,_" came Spike's voice again. "_How did you get this number?_"

I pulled the phone closer to me. "From the doctor at the hospital," I explained. "He gave it to me after I asked who had brought Alia in to be treated. But he did not really elaborate on what exactly happened to her. We were curious if you two could fill us in."

Jen and I waited as the two on the other side of the line whispered to each other. Some words like 'should' and 'tell' I could make out but the rest was all jumbled into one. I prayed that they could tell us more about what happened to our friend. If there was one thing I hated, it was being left in the dark.

"_Where are you two now?_" Carly finally asked.

"We're at Alia's house in Duluth." Jen answered.

"Alright_. We'll tell you what happened but not over the phone. Are you two able to come to us?_"

"Where are you exactly?" both Jen and I inquired at the same time.

"_We're at the Autobot base in Oregon. Can you two come?_"

"Yes. Just give us directions and we'll…" I started.

Spike interrupted. "_That won't be necessary. There are two Autobots out on patrol right now. They'll come pick you both up tomorrow morning around five your time so be ready to go. Then they'll bring you both straight here._"

Then the line went dead. I closed my phone as Jen go up and started moving our things near the front door. Then we collapsed on the couches and slept restlessly for the rest of the night.

**Carly**

Spike closed the phone and put it back in his pocket before giving Tara a chance to answer.

"Why not tell them over the phone? It would be easier." I said.

"True. But I think it would be better to tell them face to face…" he paused.

"What?"

We sat in silence before he spoke again.

"I think it would be better to have them here also because if that jerk is looking for them now."

I hadn't thought of that. "You think he would go after them too?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. But it's better to keep them safe than to risk it. It's what Alia would have wanted."

With that Spike got up and left the room, just as some of the Autobots were returning from patrol and were coming in for something to drink.

I had to agree with him. It was the least any of us could do for her now. I got up, leaving my lemonade on the table, and went to talk to both Optimus and Ironhide. Just to be sure that I was alright for Tara and Jen to come. Then we'd have to get in touch with Wheeljack and Sideswipe so that they could pick them up.

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

**Tara**

I woke up the next morning to a horn blasting outside the front door. I sat up on the couch and looked around, trying to get my bearings. Then I remembered that I was with Jen at Alia's house. What was the glow from the morning sun shined through the curtains onto Alia's favorite glass vase on the table behind the table where Jen was sleeping. Casting an almost eerie, sparkling shadow on the wall behind it.

How appropriate since this house will no longer be a place of life. Only that of haunting silence as its owner was dead.

The horn sounded again and I jumped off the couch and ran to the window. Looking outside I saw two cars pulled up outside the house. One was a white Lancia with red and green stripes on the hood and the other was a red Lamborghini. Both had the engines running but I could see no drivers inside. Closing the curtain I shook Jen awake and we headed outside with our bags. I locked the door behind me and pocketed the key before walking over to stand in front of the two cars.

"Well?" the Lamborghini said. "Are you getting in or not?"

Jen backed up a little. She leaned over to me. "Tara… that car just talked."

"You have a problem with that?"

"Uh no!" Jen exclaimed, shaking her head.

I leaned over and quietly reminded her that Spike had said that two Autobots would be picking us up, while trying not to laugh at her reaction.

"Is that all you two are bringing?" this came from the Lancia.

"Yes." I replied.

"Well my trunk is not big enough for both sets of bags so one of you has to go with him." The Lamborghini snorted, pointedly talking about the Lancia.

"Humph!"

I smiled, picked up my bags and walked over to the Lancia. Letting Jen ride with the Lamborghini, not only because she liked that kind of car, but also since I didn't think I could ride with him for very long before getting into an argument for most of the trip.

The Lancia opened his trunk door for me and I slipped my bags in. After he shut the door I walked around to the driver's side and go in behind the wheel. Jen did the same and then waved for us to go on ahead of them.

Getting onto the highway was not too hard as the usual rush hour traffic was light this morning. We headed west and soon crossed the border into North Dakota. I must have fallen asleep shortly after that because when I looked around again the sun was just about to set and made a point of blinding me so I moved and lay down across the front seats of the Lancia.

"Tired? You have been asleep for several hours." He asked.

I sighed and turned onto my back.

"Yeah. I guess I should have expected to. Both Jen and I had a long day yesterday. I couldn't really fall asleep after we learned about what had happened to our friend Alia. Thankfully the doctor had a number we could call to get in touch with Spike and Carly, who we had met before Jen and I left for Indy. But even still … I never expected to come home to _this_."

"I'm sorry. You three must have been close."

"Very. We've known each other since elementary school back in Indiana. All three of us have been practically inseparable since. It just feels like I've lost a part of myself now … a part I'll never get back …" I laughed suddenly. "Sorry. I must be boring to listen to."

He sounded surprised. "On the contrary, I understand what you mean perfectly. Besides, I believe you humans say that it's better to talk about something than to hold it in."

"True." I leaned up on my arm. "Did you know Alia? Obviously you're a friend of Spike and Carly's right?"

He hesitated for a few minutes as he turned onto another exit ramp and made sure that the Lambo was following right behind us.

"Yes I knew her. Not as long as you though. But yes I had the fortune of meeting her." He said finally. "My name is Wheeljack by the way."

"Tara." I replied smiling. "Did she say anything about us?"

"She talked about you two greatly Tara. She really cared for the both of you. Enough to protect you from possibly being taken away from her by David."

I shot up in my seat. "He was in Duluth?!"

"Yes." Wheeljack replied. "He appeared shortly after you two left. He's the cause of what happened to Alia."

I flopped back down into the seat. "Jen and I suspected that. The bastard never gives up. Any idea where he is?"

"No."

"Well then, I have something to do after this visit." I stated before turning over and going back to sleep.

**Jen**

I watched Tara from where I was behind her in the Lamborghini. I tried to go to sleep after we had left Duluth but I guess the Sandman wasn't going to be nice to me today. This still felt like a bad dream and that tomorrow I would wake up from it and Alia would be alive and we could go back to the way things were. But deep down I knew that wasn't so, and would never be.

"Try to sleep. You look exhausted." My driver said to me.

I leaned against the window. "I've tried Sideswipe. But I don't think I can."

"How'd you know my name? I never told you."

"A hunch I suppose."

He snorted. "A pretty good one. How do you know that I'm just not Sunstreaker in disguise?"

I leaned my head against the seat. "Because you two may be twins. But you're very different."

**Wheeljack**

Tara's words about her friend kept echoing through my mind on a continuous loop. I wished there was something I could do to ease her pain about it. But nothing came to mind no matter what I tried. Now she wanted revenge against her friend's killer.

Just like we all did.

Optimus and Prowl had organized groups to search for David so that we could get rid of him. It was the lease we could do for Alia, Primus bless her.

"Wheeljack?" Sideswipe whispered over the comm.

"What?"

"Tara asleep?"

"Yes."

"Finally." He sighed.

"What? Did you and Jen not get along okay?"

"No. Jen and I have gotten along okay so far. She just fell asleep a few minutes ago." He said slowly.

"Tara too." I replied. "Let them sleep. We'll be at the Ark tomorrow anyway sometime after dawn."

"Sounds good." He replied and then shut off his comm.

_TTTTTTTTTTTTT_

**Jen**

I sat watching the scenery go by out the windows as I slowly ate the food that we had stopped for. Tara had said that we were only a few hours away from the Ark now, according to Wheeljack. Both Sideswipe and Wheeljack had sped up their pace after receiving word that they were needed for a mission and had to get back as soon as possible.

We pulled up in front of the Ark a few hours later. As soon as we did I saw four people waiting for us at the entrance to the base. Two I recognized as Spike and Carly. The others were a man in his late forties early fifties wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, with a pair of work boots on his feet. The other was a boy our age in a wheelchair with red hair and glasses.

Wheeljack and Sideswipe pulled up in front of the four and let me and Tara climb out and get our luggage before they transformed and went straight into the Ark. I picked up my bags and followed Tara over to where Spike and the others were.

"Hey!" Spike called in greeting as he and Carly came over and grabbed some of our bags.

"Hi." Tara sighed as she set down a bag. "I have to say that is the quickest trip I've ever been on. That only took us what, two days?"

"They can drive a lot faster than other cars. To get where they need to go." Carly explained.

"So Spike." The man said. "Are these the two friends that you were telling us about?"

Spike nodded. "Yes. Tara, Jen. I'd like you to meet my dad."

"Please, call me Sparkplug."

Spike shook his head. "And Chip Chase."

"Pleased to meet you." Chip said, shaking each of our hands.

"Well." Sparkplug said, picking up one of my bags. "Let's get you two settled in."

Tara and I followed them with Spike, Carly or Chip explaining what part of the Ark we were in and what each room was used for. We passed the room with the computer the Autobot's called Teletran 1 who gave out early warning signals for a Decepticon attack or a new energy source.

Branching off that room were four different hallways. One of the hallways led to the private offices held by the higher officers and their quarters. One led down to the medbay and Wheeljack's lab as well as the larger quarters for the Dinobots that were built into the cave opening that the Autobots had originally discovered the dinosaur bones in.

The third led to the Recreation room and the rest of the Autobots' quarters with a branch off at the end to the showers and a weapons room. The last hallway was a path to several training rooms, a communications area, a war/meeting room, a few stock rooms filled with unpacked boxes of items, another weapons storage locker and an opening that led up to some outcroppings of rock that jutted out of the mountain and one that led into the heart of the volcano that could be blocked off by a large door in case of an eruption.

Sparkplug led us down the third hallway that was right across from the entrance to the Ark. We passed the recreation room and went down a smaller hallway that connected two of the main ones. Stopping in front of a small door, Sparkplug took out a key and opened it and let Tara and me walk in.

The room was large, almost like an apartment. The first room was spacious enough for a couch and a few chairs along with a TV and some other things. Two doors on the far wall led into separate bedrooms and open archways led into the kitchen and pantry with another archway, this one with a door, leading into the bathroom complete with all the necessities.

Sparkplug set the bag he was carrying on the coffee table. "Well I need to go get some errands done. I'll see you kids later." With that he left.

"You're dad's nice." Tara said to Spike, flopping down on the couch.

"Yeah he is."

"How long have you guys known the Autobots?" I asked.

"For me and my dad it's been two years now I think." Spike said.

Carly nodded. "It's about the same for me and Chip. We met the Autobots a couple of months later."

I nodded and picked up my bags and headed towards one of the doors to the bedroom and set my things down in the room that had been prepared for me. I unpacked a few of my things before heading back out into the room.

"Are you going to tell us now what happened?" Tara asked suddenly.

"Tara!"

"What?" she replied innocently.

Spiked nodded to Carly and he sat down across from Tara. "Alright, sit down Jen and we'll tell you what happened."

I sat with Carly next to me and Chip next to her as Spike started to tell us what happened. He explained in as much detail as he could what had happened from when Alia had met with Rewind and Steeljaw to meeting with Optimus and the incident with a mysterious attacker that had hurt them both almost beyond hope of recovering.

Then both he and Carly explained back and forth about that day, a week later, when the Decepticons attacked the base and occupied the Autobots while they, with Alia and Steeljaw, had met with David and a few of his goons. Alia had told Spike and Carly to run, which they did. They went back after getting help and found Alia, wounded, but alive by the lakeside overlook.

They had managed to get David's weapon away from him but he had used some magnets to return it to his hand and had fired it at where Optimus, Ratchet, and Prowl had been standing when they had tried to convince Alia to come back to the base with them and find another way to deal with him.

Carly said that for a moment they didn't know what had become of Alia since she seemed to move so fast after the weapon was fired. Then next thing they heard was Alia's scream as she placed herself in front of the energy blast, causing it to strike her instead of Optimus and the others. After the energy dissipated they found that David had escaped and went out in force to look for him but he had vanished without a trace.

Spike and Carly had come back and with Ratchet's help had taken Alia to the hospital and left her in the doctor's care with instructions to call if she had recovered from the attack.

"But we have not received any word at all about it." Carly finished.

"So you think the doctor was telling the truth? About Alia's condition." I asked.

"He must have been. He would have called if it were different." Spike said.

"No! I won't believe it!" Tara said as she stood up.

"Tara…"

"No Jen!" she cried, tears forming. "I cannot believe that she would just give up and die and leave us alone like this!"

She looked at Spike and Carly. "I thought that maybe, just maybe the doctor was lying to us to protect her from David! And that she was really alive but hiding somewhere! But now … oh god … now I don't know what to believe…"

I got up and hugged her, letting her cry into my shoulder. Carly put a hand on Tara's arm.

"It's not anyone's fault Tara. Alia did what she thought was right. She wouldn't want you to grieve like this would she?"

Tara slowly shook her head as she tried to calm down.

"So," I said, after setting Tara down to sit on the couch. "What do we do now?"

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Please R&R, I take both comments and criticism! Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the wait. Here's chapter 2 of part 2 in the series!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters relating to Transformers, even though I own the DVDs. I only own my OCs that are in the story.

**Rating:** T

**Name**: Change in pov

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTT_ = scene change

'_italics_' mental communication

"_italics_" talking on a phone

"Why don't you stay with us?" Chip asked. "It's better to be here then out there for now don't you think?"

I turned to him. "Because David is still out there?"

"That's one reason."

I sat down next to Tara. "What do you think?"

She looked up at me as she blinked the remnants of the tears away from her eyes. "Where else can we go? Duluth sure, but there's too many memories to live there right now without falling into grief all over again."

Carly managed a smile. "I'll take that as a yes that you two will stay?"

Both of us nodded.

"Alright. If you give me your addresses I can go with Ironhide and pick up anything you two need from home and want to bring here."

I smiled. "Thanks Carly. That would be really helpful."

"Sure." She replied and then the three of them left. Leaving me and Tara alone to prepare what we needed to give her and to get settled into our new home.

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

**Tara**

I have to say in all honesty that I have grown very attached to this new home of mine. The Autobots have been very understanding of giving me and Jen our space for the past week but now we both feel more comfortable with talking to them and discovering what else lies within this ship.

I walked out of our room, which was now furnished with everything that we had owned in our apartments. Carly had gone out a few days after we arrived with Ironhide to pick up everything for us and to tell our landlords that we had decided to move to a new place. Carly said that they had understood. It seemed that everyone in town knew what had happed to Alia.

Sounds drifted down from the recreation area where the twins were having a competition again on one of their video game consoles. Spike had admitted to being the one that introduced them to it but Chip had also had a hand in it as he kept updating the games and giving them new ones whenever one came out. Computer games I heard was also a favorite past time of the twins whenever they were bored.

Wandering down the hall I stopped in front of an open door that led into what looked like a lab of some sort from my level of view. I walked into the dimly lit room and moved carefully around the spare parts on the floor. Some of the litter on the floor looked melted in places like it was either torched or it had exploded from something going wrong with its circuitry.

I looked up as something crashed on the ground and found Wheeljack sitting in a chair at one of the back tables, leaning over something. Apparently not having noticed that something had fallen. He had a spare lamp on the table to add a little better light and some spare parts were stacked up in a corner of the table which he constantly reached to whenever he needed another piece to the puzzle of whatever was in his hands.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He jumped, causing another part to fall from the table. He looked down in my direction and relaxed a little from being scared out of his wits.

"Tara. Sorry I didn't hear you."

"I can see why." I said, motioning at the object on the table. "Mind if I have a look?"

"No." he reached down and lifted me up onto the table.

I stepped off and walked over to the little gadget. It was small and circular in shape, the face looking like an oversized and overly complicated watch that at the moment gave no indication if it would get any larger in size, depending on what he was building it for.

"What do you think?" he asked.

I looked up. "What is it?"

"I haven't come up with a name for it yet but it is supposed to shrink us down to human size and also give us a holographic form as well, when the right button is pressed of course. I've gotten the holo-forms right thanks to Hound. But I can't seem to figure out how to get it to shrink us."

"Have you tried reversing the polarity?"

"The what?"

I sighed. Reaching down I carefully switched the two magnetic wires and then pressed the on switch. The gears made a light 'whirring' sound that started and ended just as quickly. Nothing seemed to happen until I realized that Wheeljack was no longer where he was in his chair.

"Jack?" I called, looking around.

"Down here!"

I walked to the edge of the table and saw him still sitting in his chair. But considerably smaller than before. From here he looked like he was about the size of a six foot tall human.

"You know?" he said as he climbed on the chair's arm and jumped the distance from there onto the table. "I never would have thought that had been the problem. But sometimes working on small things like this, it's hard for me to see where exactly I'm putting something."

I tilted my head to one side. "Don't you have a magnifier?"

An embarrassed look appeared in his eyes. "Yeah but I lent it to Ratchet. He had to fix something of Mirage's before he goes on duty."

"Oh." Was all I could say.

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. I can work on it better from here anyway. Do you want to help?"

"Yes, please!"

**Jen**

I walked into the recreation room at Carly's insistence. She pulled me in and walked with me over to one of the tables that was behind a small group of Autobots who were clustered around something on the other side of the large room. I stopped as Carly talked with one of the Autobots at the table and then found myself gently dragged onto a large, red hand and being lifted onto the table top.

Carly helped me down though I stumbled when the red head quickly lifted away.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay."

Carly helped me to my feet. "Jen, I'd like you to meet Ironhide. Ironhide this is Jennifer."

"An honor, miss." Ironhide said with a slight Southern drawl.

I smiled at him. "Same here. Thank you for bringing mine and Tara's things back from Duluth for us."

"It wasn't a problem at all miss. How are you and Miss Tara holding up?"

"Pretty well." I replied as I sat on the table. "I like it here and so does she. I can never thank you guys enough for letting us stay."

He waved my thanks off. "Like I said, it's no problem. We're glad to have you two here."

Carly sat down next to me. "Do you know where Tara is Jen?"

I shook my head. "No. I think she went looking for Wheeljack."

Both of them passed a look.

"What?"

"You told me before that Tara is a sort of inventor right?" Carly asked.

"Yeah . . ."

"So is Wheeljack." Ironhide finished.

I groaned. No way was I separating those two for awhile then. From knocking around on the net I had heard that Wheeljack was an inventor for the Autobots as well as Ratchet's part-time helper if he got swamped in medbay. Tara had always talked about inventing something and then finding a way to see if Wheeljack could use it.

_Well, here's her chance_, I thought.

A cheer went up front the small crowd. Some of them groaning though as they passed over some kind of coin into another's hand.

"Carly. What are they doing?"

She laughed. "They're watching Sides and Sunstreaker battle it out on the game console. They usually bet on which one of them will win, depending on the game."

Video games? How was that even possible? I didn't think that the game consoles we had were large enough for them to play on. Ironhide explained that Wheeljack had used one of his other inventions to enlarge the console so that they could play and apparently the twins had been addicted to it ever since.

Someone shouted causing the three of us to look over as Sideswipe shot up from the floor, knocking a few of the spectators back as he walked away from his brother. Sunstreaker tried to call him back but Sideswipe waved him off. The golden twin shrugged and went back to another game.

"Sides!" Carly shouted.

He looked over, smiling when he spotted us and came over. He flopped down in the seat with a sigh, leaning his arm against the table and propped one of his legs on the seat.

"Lost again?" Ironhide smirked.

Sideswipe shot him a look. "Yes. Sunny surprised me with a new game that I hadn't tried yet."

"You seemed to be holding your own though."

"Yeah until he shot me with a secret move that he 'forgot' to mention!" Sideswipe huffed as he slouched even more against the wall.

Carly sighed. "Come on Sides! Don't get all huffy."

"Why not?" he shot back.

"Because your being a sore loser." I stated plainly.

He turned his head, which was now even with the table, and glared at me.

"Well you are. There's no use denying it."

"Humph."

I sighed.

Jeez. He acted like my younger brother. My brother had just recently gotten a new Mario game a few weeks ago and was playing it all throughout the family reunion. There was one level that he got stuck on and after trying and failing to get past it he flung his controller across the room, nearly hitting some of our relatives.

Mother scolded him, saying that he wasn't five anymore, he's actually seventeen, and should act his age and be more patient with the new game that our Aunt had brought him. The game had landed near me and I had picked it up. It wasn't damaged or anything. Surprising considering how hard my brother had thrown it.

I gave it back to him and said that he shouldn't be such a sore loser. Or he may never see another game again. He looked surprised but he knew that I was right and listened to me. He was quiet after that and even went to another game after he started to get angry again.

Sideswipe was the same way, except in the fact that he seemed to be the type to pout for days just because he lost at one thing.

"What game is it anyway?" I asked.

"Galaxy something. I had heard of it but he rigged it so that during the game you could play either play the ship or the aliens. But he also made it so that he could _switch_ to the alien side and defeat me without warning me first!"

"That's why it's called a Surprise Sneak Attack Sideswipe!" Sunstreaker called from the other side of the room.

"Shut up!" Sideswipe spat back.

Hmmmm . . .

"Hey Sunstreaker!"

"What?"

"Start that Galaxy game! Let me play against you!"

Sideswipe sat up as everyone else, including Sunstreaker, looked at me like I had grown a second head.

"Are you nuts?!" Sideswipe hissed. "He's the best gamer in the Ark!"

"We'll see." I smirked. "Can you help me down Ironhide."

He complied and carried me over to where Sunstreaker was. Too much in shock to say anything to stop me. He set me down next to Sunstreaker who handed me a regular sized controller, which was hooked up to the oversized system and booted up the game.

"Who do you want?"

"Aliens."

He smirked. "Okay." Then he pressed the start button.

I could hear gasps from the audience behind me at the alien soldiers I was losing as Sunstreaker flew back and forth quickly across the bottom of the screen. I dodged his shots and waited for my opening.

There it was. I shot and destroyed him and repeated the process to his last two ships.

The controller slipped from Sunstreaker's hands as he stared, dumbstruck, at the TV that flashed 'You Lose' on his side of the screen.

Smiling, I put the controller down and got up. I started walking away to head somewhere else when Sunstreaker finally started to utter something.

"H . . . ho . . . how . . .," he stammered after finding his voice.

I turned slightly. "How? I don't know. I guess I should have mentioned that I've played just about every game out there since I was six. See ya!"

Leaving it at that, I left the room.

**Sideswipe and Sunstreaker**

_I think I'm in love_. We looked at each other as our thoughts echoed together.

"I saw her first!!"

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

**Ratchet**

I placed the cloaking device Mirage needed onto the table and cleared my tools away. I hadn't thought that'd I'd finish in time but there was still another hour or so before he had to come get it. I hadn't asked how it had been damaged but without it, he couldn't become invisible. All the more reason to fix it I guess.

I set about cleaning my tools and setting them back in their respective places.

The whole feeling of the Ark had changed to a lighter mood now that Tara and Jennifer were here. I had seen them shortly after their arrival but I hadn't had a chance to talk to them just yet. Both of them looked to be really nice and crafty, especially Jen as she actually beat Sunstreaker at his own game yesterday.

Jazz had come in and told me shortly after it had happened. He was laughing his head off at Sunny's reaction to being beaten for the first time since getting the game. But I figured it was a good thing for him to be put in his place. As the human saying goes, 'there's always someone better.'

"Ratchet?"

"Yes Prowl?" I asked, turning around with the tool I was currently cleaning in hand.

"Do you know where Optimus is?"

I set down the tool and cloth. "No. I haven't seen him since he came back with you and Jazz from patrol."

"I know and neither has anyone else." Prowl explained. He leaned against one of the tables. "Do you mind looking for him for me?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Why? Too scared to do it yourself?"

His door wings snapped to attention. "No! It's just that I have several reports to go through and you're friends with him and everything . . ."

"Just because we're friends? _That's_ why you're asking me?"

"No. It's because he'll _listen_ to you."

That caught me off guard.

"He listens to you though."

"Yes. But not in the way that he'd listen to you right _now_ . . .ever since what happened in Duluth . . ."

I held up a hand as he trailed off. "Enough. But why not ask Ironhide or Wheeljack?"

"Ironhide is preparing to go on patrol duty and Wheeljack is currently occupied with some invention he and Tara are working on." Prowl replied.

"Ah." I sighed.

". . . Alright I'll go find him." I answered finally when Prowl gave me an expectant look.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then." Prowl said and then he left.

Setting the tray of tools on the counter I walked out of the room and towards where Prime's office was. I figured I'd check that and his quarters first. I found the door to his office unlocked and stepped in.

The room was completely void of any life. Stacks of reports and other documents covered the front of the desk, barely allowing any room to get work done. Everything else was in its place so no one else had been in here the whole day.

His quarters were the same way, nothing. Walking around I looked for any clue that could tell me something about where he went. Usually Optimus didn't disappear like this unless he had a very good reason that he didn't want to be found. Well, the past events of two months ago certainly qualified in that category.

A box near the small desk in the room was partly open and upon closer inspection I found some cubes of high-grade energon inside. There were a few empty places in the center of the top row; I just hoped he hadn't had more than one.

I couldn't blame him for how he felt. Optimus was never one to openly talk about his feelings with anyone but I could tell that Alia getting hurt like that had affected him badly . . . deeply. A lot more that he would ever be willing to talk to me about.

Especially now that we had had no word from the doctor about her possible recovery.

I leaned up against the desk, thinking about where to look next, when my hand brushed against something underneath the corner and a beep sounded. I looked towards the window that was in the room, the largest in the Ark, and along the wall on the far side a piece of paneling opened up from the wall.

Opening it further I found a stairway inside, lit by some sunlight that filtered in from the opening at the end. I left the panel open just a crack and climbed up the stairs. I hadn't even known this was here, and I had had the privilege of seeing the Ark's building plans as it was being constructed back on Cybertron several vorns before we left to search for new energy sources.

_Found you_. I thought triumphantly as I got to the top of the stairs.

"Optimus?"

He turned his head from where he was sitting close to the edge of the outcropping. The cube of high-grade sitting beside his right hand half-empty.

"Hello Ratchet." He said as he turned his eyes back on the sky.

I went over and sat next to him. Pointedly moving the cube away from his hand, he didn't need any more than what he had already drunk.

"Did Prowl send you to look for me?" he asked calmly.

"Yes."

"Are you going to drag me back down there?" he asked, glancing at me with eyes empty of any emotion.

I shook my head. "No. But what are you doing up here anyway?"

" Hoping to clear my head."

_Obviously_.

"Of what exactly?" I asked.

"Everything," he sighed. "Just . . . everything . . . from these past few months. Then maybe I can start getting back down to the matters at hand without these thoughts distracting me."

I leaned forward. "You can't just erase thoughts that you want to keep in your mind though. The bad ones yes, get rid of them. But the good ones? What are you going to do with those memories?"

He put his hands behind his head as he moved to lay down on the rock. "I don't think I have any good memories that I want to keep Ratchet. Some of them are just too painful to remember . . . even if they are good."

I glared at him. "Then you'll just be a mindless person! By Primus, you'd be what the humans call a zombie! With no thoughts or feelings to hold you back when you fight!"

"I don't need a lecture Ratch." He muttered.

"I'm not trying to give you one. But is that truly how you want to be?"

He turned his face away from me. "If it will get rid of this pain I feel, then yes."

"That's not an answer!" I growled back.

Silence followed for a few minutes. Both of us lost in our own thoughts. The beeping of my communicator broke the tense atmosphere.

"Yes?"

"_Ratchet! If you've found Prime we need you both down here now!_" Bumblebee shouted.

"Calm down! What happened?" I asked as Optimus sat up.

"_Jazz and Bluestreak just got back and they're in bad shape!_"

"We'll be right there!" I said, breaking off the comm. I looked up at Optimus. "Coming?"

He nodded and we both ran down the stairs, Optimus only pausing long enough to shut the wall panel to hide the stairway.

**Tara**

I ran down the hallway, following Wheeljack towards the medbay. Wheeljack and I had been working on his invention when shouts had echoed down the hallway. We watched as shortly after Prowl went by, Sideswipe and a few others helping Jazz with Bluestreak followed close behind.

Wheeljack and I followed. I ran to catch up to Jen who was also following, having heard the commotion from our room. We walked into the medbay and stayed close to the wall as other Autobots were in the room and were moving equipment into place.

The door swished open and Ratchet came storming in with Optimus following behind him. Ratchet shouted for everyone to clear out, which they did. Quite in a hurry too I'm surprised to say. I didn't think Ratchet could be that scary.

We made our way around where Ratchet and Optimus were standing and climbed up onto the table where Ratchet kept most of his medical supplies.

Jazz was in bad shape from what we could see. One of his arms looked to be missing some critical parts like someone had reached in and tore out what was inside his forearm. Leaving only an empty shell behind and rendering his arm totally useless. Several burn marks covered Jazz from head to foot with three bad ones on his chest.

Ratchet started repairs while Bluestreak told Optimus what had happened. Both he and Jazz had run into the Contructicons as they were building a new Space Bridge about fifty miles out and deep in the forest to hide it. Bluestreak said he wasn't sure what this bridge would be used for but from the looks of its size, it could be used to transport large numbers of the Decepticon army from Cybertron to Earth to join the fight.

Optimus took this in as Bluestreak looked over to check how Ratchet was doing. Part of Jazz's chest was open as Ratchet concentrated on the places that had been hit the worst. His head shot up and then he looked back down at what he was doing before coming up again.

"Bluestreak?"

"Ye . . .yeah?"

"Did the 'Cons have some kind of new weapon?" Ratchet asked.

He shook his head. "No, not that I saw. Why?"

Ratchet sighed. "I've never seen such precision in a cut like this. The cut is too deep for me to get to it and on a small wire. I can't roll Jazz over, it would cause even more damage to his internals."

"Ratchet we can't lose him!" Bluestreak cried suddenly.

Ratchet scoffed. "I never said that we would Blue."

"Can we help?" Jen asked.

All three of them looked down at us. Not expecting anyone to still be in the room since the others had been shooed out.

"Could you?" Optimus asked us both.

We looked at each other. Both Jen and I had helped my father before with his doctor work when he permitted us in the same room. The internals of an Autobot were basically along the same lines as the inside of a human, just with some minor differences.

"It's worth a shot." I said.

Ratchet nodded, picked us up and then placed us next to the opening of Jazz's chest. He pointed to where the cut was and gave us one of Sparkplug's tools to fix it with. We slowly made our way inside, careful about where we put our hands and feet as we climbed down.

Jen spotted the wire first and I crawled over to it. The cut was deep in his chest and looked like it could have only been made from a shot to the back but neither of us spotted a laser mark in the place directly beneath us. Whatever had made this it had been shot from the front when Jazz was facing the enemy.

Jen held the vein on either side to keep the fluid away as I mended the cut. I had to go slowly as the opening was large and inflamed from being untreated for so long. I finished and Jen let go so that the fluid could run freely again. The seal held as I shut of the tool and prepared to climb back out.

Jazz regained consciousness as we climbed out, laughing slightly as Jen accidently hit a ticklish spot. We sat back and let Ratchet finish the work, but staying close in case we were needed again.

After another twenty minutes Ratchet finally finished and closed the opened area with a new piece of metal. The arm though would have to wait until he got a new shipment in from Cybertron the next day.

Jazz just shrugged. I guess it wasn't to him it didn't matter if he couldn't use one arm or not.

"Thanks you two." Jazz said as he carefully hopped down from the table, using his good arm to steady himself on his feet.

"No problem." Jen replied.

"Have you two seen something like that before?" Ratchet asked.

I shook my head. "No. I've heard of nothing that could cut that precisely and not leave a mark on his back at all. It must have been cut from a shot to his chest."

"But for one to go that deep . . ." Ratchet mused.

Bluestreak spoke up. "Could it be something from Cybertron?"

"Possible," Optimus replied. "I'll have Ironhide check in with our base there, see if they know anything."

Jen and I sat with Ratchet for a little while after the other three left. Watching him as he put his tools away for a third time that week.

"Do you think it could have been something of . . . you know who's?" Jen whispered.

"No I don't think so. He's bent on destroying _both_ factions. I don't think he sell a new weapon to one just to destroy another." I replied.

She shrugged. "It's been done throughout history before and it is something to think about. Alia said that he had crafty ways of getting things done. This could be one of them."

God I wished Alia was here. She would know what to do.

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

He waited, arms crossed, as everything was packed away into the car. Shifting on his feet he paced back and forth in front of the engine. This mission had to get under way now! He was tired of waiting!

It had been over a month since the incident. Sure planning something like this took time and careful knowledge of the surrounding area of the target to make a quick escape, but he never thought that it would be this long.

He had sat in his home for weeks planning on which kinds of weapons to use on either faction. The factions may have been of the same species but they were different in their weaknesses and flaws that would open them up to his surprise attack without warning.

"Master David?"

He turned to face his bodyguard.

"The car is ready sir. By your leave." The guard bowed as David passed him.

"Very well. Let's go, I've waited too long for this day." David said as he climbed into the car.

The bodyguard bowed again and closed the door. He climbed into the passenger seat and as soon as the door was shut the car drove off. Heading down to the highway to go west as the Master commanded.

_TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT_

Her eyes followed the car as it left for the highway. Her target was in that car. She could have attacked him right then, when he was in the open, but in this public place would mean showing herself to people that she didn't want to see yet.

Folding the map that was in her hands, she put it in a bag on her motorcycle before she set out after them at a discrete distance.

This was the only thing she had to do now. She had to get rid of him before he did damage to whoever his target was. But she had to do it in front of those that this man hunted so that they would know for a fact that he was dead and would cause no more harm.

To fulfill the oath that she had promised her friend.

Then she would disappear and disappear for good so that no one could ask questions about why she did it. She had her own reasons. Just like she had reasons to stay away completely after this final mission was completed.

The rumble of the engine echoed off the other vehicles as the motorcycle's speed increased and caught up to get behind the large, black hummer. The helmet obscured the rider's face from any view that the passing cars could have. But if anyone could have seen through it. They would have seen tears running down her face from knowing that she would never see her friends again . . .


End file.
